Unusual orbital foreign bodies

Purpose: To describe the clinical features of patients with unusual orbital foreign bodies. Methods: The clinical histories, preoperative photographs, imaging studies, and surgical pathologic findings of five patients with unusual orbital fore ign bodies are presented. Additionally, published reports pertaining to sim ilar cases were reviewed. Results: The five patients treated by the authors had good outcomes. Conclusions: An orbital foreign body may be overlooked because a small pene trating wound may be accompanied by minimal or no signs of inflammation ear ly in the clinical course. A careful history and physical examination, imag ing studies, and a strong suspicion are helpful for establishing the diagno sis of an orbital foreign body.